Michael Andretti was quick to allay fears expressed in some quarters that the return of Indy car racing to Toronto was still miles from the checkered flag.

Michael Andretti was quick to allay fears expressed in some quarters that the return of Indy car racing to Toronto was still miles from the checkered flag.

"We wouldn't be doing this just to do it," said Andretti yesterday in a telephone interview from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he is helping prep his four-car team for the Indianapolis 500 on May 25.

"It's full bore ahead. The (Indy Racing) League is endorsing it and we just have to get all the particulars done, but it's all agreed to in principle.

"We have a good relationship with the League; they want to be there and we want to be there."

Andretti said an exact date for the race hasn't been determined since the IRL has yet to set its 2009 schedule.

The 2008 schedule currently shows 16 races, but will expand to 18 as events in Edmonton and Surfers Paradise, Australia, – two venues from the Champ Car calendar – are slotted in for dates later this summer and fall.

Speculation is that there will be as many as 20 races next year with Toronto, Long Beach, Calif., and Mexico City added and perhaps one or two less profitable current tracks dropped.

Andretti and his partners Kim Green and Kevin Savoree formed an offshoot company of their racing team which took over the running of the St. Petersburg, Fla., race in 2005.

The success of that event prompted Andretti to look at acquiring the rights for the Toronto race after reunification of the two open-wheel series earlier this year.

"The first thing that popped into my mind was Toronto; We've gotta go after that. We felt it was important to see if we could save it.

"Toronto's a very important city and important market. For me personally it's a very special place."

Andretti won the Toronto race an unprecedented seven times.

Toronto, which has had a race every year since 1986 and drew crowds of 70,000 at the height of its popularity, could not be fitted into the 2008 IndyCar Series calendar.

But even before Andretti Green entered the picture there were strong hints coming from the IRL headquarters that Toronto would be back in the picture in 2009.

Andretti said he feels this year's absence will serve to fuel interest for the race next year.

" It's going be to like `wow, we missed it. We can't do without it,'" he said.

The Toronto race had strong financial backing from Molson Brewery until 2005. But then without the financial support to promote the event the race-day crowd was down to less than 40,000.

Andretti said he realized the event might not immediately show a profit.

"We saw that with St. Pete, but we have a plan and we feel confident we can make this thing a success," he said.

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